The present invention relates to a method for storing individual pieces at a selected location in a storage facility, in which method the individual piece is identified and measured and subsequently the measured size is input as a signal to a computer which based on this signal selects a corresponding storage location.
Especially in pharmacies it is conventional to store different packages in drawers. As a filing or storing parameter conventionally the product name is being used. This has the disadvantage that the surface area within the drawers that is available cannot be optimally used for storing the pharmaceutical articles. Accordingly, in a pharmacy considerable amount of space is required for storing pharmaceutical products.
In a method of the aforementioned kind known from German Patent 40 26 449 individual pieces are stored on a pallet on which the individual pieces are then transported to the end storage facility. The cited document does not explain how the individual pieces stored on the pallet are then introduced into the storage facility and removed from it. For the known method an intermediate storage facility is important in which the measured and identified individual pieces are positioned in any suitable sequence. In order for the pallet to be loaded in an optimal manner, it is however required that the shape and the dimensions of a greater number of individual pieces, approximately 30%, is known. Only with the knowledge of a certain number of individual pieces the pallet can be loaded such that it is optimally filled. The use of the intermediate storage facility, however, makes the known device more expensive and increases the amount of time required for placing the individual pieces into storage.
The individual pieces are assembled on the pallet such that the individual pieces present within the intermediate storage facility that have the greatest base area or the individual pieces of a same height which together require the greatest base area are positioned on one corner of the pallet. The individual pieces having a different height from the first placed pieces but among them an identical height are then arranged on the opposite corner of the pallet. During the further filling of the pallet the individual pieces are stacked such that always the greatest possible continuous planar horizontal surfaces result. In this known method it is suggested that individual pieces of the same shape or substantially same shape are positioned together in order to comply with the requirement of a continuous planar horizontal surface area.
It is an object of the present invention to improve the method of the aforementioned kind such that the individual pieces can be stored within the shortest possible amount of time, that the available storage space is optimally used, and that a simple removal of the individual piece from the storage facility is possible.